Different kinds of toys in which a horse, pony or various other animal forms and characters are reproduced for use by children to simulate the riding of such animals, such as horseback riding, are well known in the art. Typical of such known riding type animal toys are those patterned somewhat after the familiar broom or stick-type pony which normally includes a member simulating a pony's head mounted on a stick or main frame member contoured so as to be adaptable for riding by holding and extending the main body of the horse between the legs of the rider. Other known constructions include the conventional hobby horse wherein a child sits on a horse figure which is suspended from a frame structure by a plurality of springs or other biasing means to simulate horseback riding, and the well known rocking horse wherein a horse or pony figure mounted on a rocking base moves back and forth as the child shifts its weight on the device, again to simulate the riding experience. The prior art devices also teach a wide variety of toy animal constructions adaptable to be worn about the waist and/or supported from the shoulders. Typical of such constructions are those which include a shell type structure molded or shaped to simulate the torso of a horse or other similar animal character having an opening therein whereby the shell structure fits about the body of the child and is supportable therearound by shoulder straps, suspenders or other means adapted to engage and cling to the body of the child interposed therewithin. In these particular known embodiments, the child wears the toy while running or walking thereby simulating the movements of riding horseback. See for typical examples the constructions shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,333,642; 3,920,239; 3,224,762; 2,707,102 and 2,659,600. While the prior art devices set forth above and other similar toys disclose animal riding toys, these toys require that the child be able to walk or run and have established playing skills and imagination. Additionally, because these toys require walking, running or the ability to sit on the animal figure without the aid or support of a person located close by, these devices do not provide a toy readily adaptable for constructive interaction with adults and, futhermore, such devices are not generally designed or adaptable for use by very small children.
Riding toys that provide interaction with an adult are also known in the art. For example, Echeverri U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,811, discloses a miniaturized toy saddle shaped to hold and carry a young child, the saddle being specifically designed to be strapped onto the back of an adult while such adult crawls or otherwise moves across the floor or ground. An obvious limitation associated with a toy such as that described in Echeverri is that if the child is on the adult's back, there is no face-to-face contact between adult and child. Without face-to-face contact, or at least having the child positioned in front of the adult, the adult is not able to effectively take part in the child's play. Additionally, the physical stress and general undesirableness of crawling on one's hands and knees likewise serves to shorten the period of play and interaction between adult and child.
Another toy providing adult interaction and play riding capability is the Knee Rider toy device made by the Danoco Corporation. The Danoco device includes a stuffed animal head portion resembling a horse's head having a fabric portion attached thereto adapted to rest upon and fit over the upper leg and knee portion of an adult. The fabric portion of the Danoco device has no definite bodY structure associated therewith, but instead, is merely a single or, at most, a few layers of relatively thin fabric material which is sized and cut to cover the upper leg and knee of an adult when opened and placed in a covering relationship thereon. The leg covering portion of the Danoco device has no structural cushioning or padding means associated therewith for supporting a child positioned thereon, and it provides no support for the head and neck portion of the toy associated therewith. Although providing a riding type toy which has a head portion fashioned in the shape of a horse's head and which is placeable on a person's leg, the Danoco device has several shortcomings which limit its desirableness and usefulness as an interactive toy. For example, the leg covering fabric portion of the Danoco device is cut so as to be positionable on a person's leg in only one orientation, namely, with the head of the Danoco toy facing away from the adult upon whose leg the toy rests. This means that a child sitting on the Danoco device will likewise be facing away from the adult attempting to play and interact with the child. Also, importantly, because the Danoco toy has no supportive body structure, the head and neck portions have a tendency to either fall off to one side or to fall forward and slip off of one's knee. In order to maintain the head of the Danoco toy in a substantially upright position during use, a child must constantly grasp and pull rearwardly on the reins attached thereto and must maintain constant tension thereon. This is not true of the present device. Additionally, since the Danoco device has no body structure other than the leg covering fabric material, there is no cushioning or padding means between the child and the person's leg upon which the toy is being used thereby making use of the Danoco toy uncomfortable for both adult and child. For these and other reasons, the above disclosed known prior art devices, including the Danoco device, are not entirely satisfactory as an adult interaction toy and all such devices have enjoyed limited usefulness.